Portland Blog: This Week in Portland
February 18 - February 25
2012

Happy Saturday, Portland and
welcome to another edition of our weekly Portland blog. Seems everyone in the city has the spring itch-- I've seen more people
walking around in short sleeves than I can count. It is still winter,
folks. It was hailing in North Portland today. Come on now, at
least wear a sweater. Something else I've noticed is a surge of traffic
in the local dog parks-- a definite sign that the weather is looking up
or folks are just getting plain desperate. Seeing the throng of humans
and dogs this morning reminded me that we've got a pretty elaborate
Portland Dog Park guide to help you find the right one for you and
your four legged pal.

Our
Portland Dog Park guide will help you find the best rated dog parks,
dog parks by neighborhood, hiking trails suitable for dogs, and even
indoor (yes, indoor!) dog parks. We'll also help you navigate trouble in
the parks and provide good-to-know dog park etiquette. So whaddya say?
Grab your boots, rain slicker and a cup of coffee and take old Rover out
today-- you'll both love it.

Beat Feet

I’m a big fan of Portland. I love so much about this town that friends
and family who don’t live here are probably sick of hearing and reading
about it. Can’t say I blame them; proselytizing is annoying regardless
of the subject or source. Sometimes my appreciation waxes rhapsodic to
the point where it sounds disingenuous and even I think I sound like I’m
on the payroll (and hey, Metro? I’m available!).

Of course no city is perfect, and one of Portland’s blemishes is
traffic. Oh, I know it’s got nothing on the big cities. I’ve heard
enough about Los Angeles’s clogged, creeping nightmare to dull any mild
curiosity I have about life in that faux faerie-land. Before I moved to
Portland I lived for years in the Dallas (Texas) area, and hold no love
for a place where you MUST travel freeways to get anywhere. Portland
nonetheless has plenty of snarls and bottle-necks in its infrastructure
and it’s perhaps the least pleasant aspect in an otherwise beautiful
city.

It could be so much worse, though. Thank the godz, and the advocates and
planners that heed them, for the transport alternatives available here.
Many commuters and other travelers favor the buses or the Max trains (I
tend not to, as my personal sphere extends quite a bit beyond the
confines of the average bus seat, and I’m not judging you so don’t judge
me), and others choose bicycles (in my estimation the most practical and
efficient machine ever produced by humankind). Some might include
motorcycles; I don’t. No disrespect to bikers, but the things belch
pollution into the atmosphere just as cars and trucks do, they tend to
be loud, and okay I lack the necessary motor skills and common sense to
effectively pilot one without crashing them into parked cars and other
stationary objects. It’s kind of a disability. Remember that thing about
judging?

I like riding my bicycle, and I like to walk just as much. According to
the Prevention website, Portland places ninth in a list of 25
Best Walking Cities(in
the United States alone I assume, since no other cities of the world are
on the list). It’s not difficult to see why. Once upon a time I worked a
thirty-minute walk from home (the best aspect of that job, actually),
and I would recommend that option to anyone if it could be an option at
all. Even bicycle-commuting engenders tunnel-vision, forces one to let
the surroundings take a backseat in the service of forward momentum.
Walking allows for sight-seeing, appreciating the neighborhoods and
trails one travels. The health benefit can’t be ignored either; reduced
blood pressure and LDL cholesterol levels, weight maintenance, and more.

For walkers who eschew pavement in favor of natural settings, Portland
has what most cities don’t: a park that is also a forest. It’s calledForest
Park(nurr) and it’s a
broad slice of the primeval steps away from the byways of civilization.
This park, for me, doesn’t just offer a stroll free of motorized traffic
and asphalt. It begs reverence. I’m never more at peace than when I’m
hiking the trails in Forest Park, and I often see that serene expression
on other hikers I pass. The park offers challenges for a variety of
fitness levels, so if you want to stride mighty rather than stroll,
there’s a trail for you. My favorite resource for learning Forest Park’s
trails is a book titled One
City's Wilderness: Portland's Forest Parkby
Marcy Cottrell Houle. I never fail to consult it before heading out.

I’ve met native Portlanders who’ve never set foot in
Forest
Park, and my incredulity fairly leapt from my mouth with springy
feets. Well, it did until people told me it was rude.

More options: The
Grottooffers
contemplative strolls along beautiful winding paths and statuary, and
for a calf-cramping good time you can take a short trip to Multnomah
Fallsand climb to the
bridge. Or do as I do. Sometimes I go to a different part of town and
just walk. No destination necessary, I just choose a street and start
walking. Often I’ll take a camera along, sometimes even a lunch.

If you’re new to Portland and/or new to
PortlandNeighborhood.com,
and you’re interested in finding out about good walking spots in town,
you should click on over to the
Portland Walking group. When you discover a favorite walk, please
share it with other members. You may even find walking partners who’ll
introduce you to places you hadn’t yet considered. The Wonders
of Walkingwebsite is a
great resource as well. I tend to be a solitary strider but even I’m
considering seeking out a group.

I’m looking out the window now, and it’s raining and it’s cold and I
don’t care. I’m gonna go for a walk.

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The Portland Photo of
the Week

The
Portland
Photo of the Week is a stunning image of
Mt
Hood by
Michael Barton. Michael wins a $20 gift certificate to the fabulous
Portland restaurant, Nicholas Restaurant, the best Lebanese and
Middle Eastern food in Portland and a PortlandNeighborhood.com favorite.
Nicholas is family owned and a Portland business since 1986.

Mt Hood Oregon- Mt
Hood is a dormant volcano located 50 miles southeast of Portland,
Oregon. Surrounded by a natural forest, Mt Hood is a staggering 11,245
feet high, the highest peak in Oregon. During summer, Mount Hood is a
popular destination for hikers and backpackers, and offers many
activities and attractions. By winter, the mountain becomes a hotspot
for skiing and winter sports...learn more about
Mt
Hood.

This week's winner gets a
gift certificate to Portland's
Screen Door restaurant, for some
of the best Southern food and fried chicken in Portland.
Check back to see if your
photo is selected for a spotlight in the weekly Portland blog!

Featured Portland
Events

Here
are the featured Portland
events this week focusing on
events happening this weekend or those just around the corner! Thanks
to everyone for adding all the great Portland events to the community
events calendar. You can add your own Portland events directly to the
events calendar for free (please
read our terms of service first).
Just click "Add
an Event" and fill in the
details.

February 3, 2012at 8pm
toMarch
10, 2012at 8pm –Ethos/IFCCBunkin' With You
in the Afterlife is a cowgirl musical written by award-winning author,
Jody Seay, and produced by BroadArts Theatre. Full of rambunctous fun,
this comedy musical play takes square a…Organized
by BroadArts Theatre | Type:musical,theatre

Here is a chart of all homes for sale, pending for sale, and sold in
Portland, Oregon for the last 15 months:

In January 2012, inventory has dropped with 1836 homes on the market.
In January 2012, 358 homes sold and 525 are pending for sale.

Yearly
change from January 11 to January 12:

Inventory
is Down 32.5%

Closed
Sales are Up 10.5%.

Pending
sales are Up 33.9%.

Chart for
average price per square footage:

In the past 15 months, the average price per square foot in Portland,
Oregon has been between $132 and $143. In January 2012, the average
price per square foot in Portland was $135.

Yearly
change from January 11 to January 12:

Average
Price/Square Foot has decreased 1.2%

Days on
market and sold/list price %:

This chart is showing us two things. First, how many days on the market
that a home is spending, on average, before being sold. In all of
Multnomah County, in all price ranges, a home is taking, on average, 73
days to sell.

The other thing that this chart shows is what percentage of listing
price the home, on average, is selling at. This is a great indicator of
pressure on prices. In January 2012, sellers were getting, on average,
93% of their original asking price.

Yearly
change from January 11 to January 12:

Average
time it takes to sell a home has decreased 5.2%.

The
percentage of original listing price that was paid has increased 3%.

Average
price for sale vs. average price of sold:

The largest segment of home sales have been in the price range under
$400,000. You can see this reflected in the average price of a home
that has sold. In January 2012, this figure was $281,000.

Yearly
change from January 11 to January 12:

The
average price of a home listed has increased 6.4%.

The
average price of a home sold has increased 2.9%.

Months
of inventory:

Months of inventory gives a timeline of how long it would take for
all of the current listings to sell. Anything above 4 months is
considered a buyers market. In January 2012, this figure was 5.1
months based on closed sales. Portland is currently, on average, a
buyer's market.

This does NOT mean that it will take, on average, 5.1 months for
your home to sell. That number was, on average in all price ranges,
73 days. It means that, if not a single listing were to come on
the market in Portland from this moment, it would take 5.1 months
for all available homes to sell before there would be none left.

Yearly
change from January 11 to January 12:

The
months of inventory figure has decreased 24.6%.

About
the report: They are a comparison of the past 15 months
(including a percentage change analysis for the last 12 months) for
all of Portland and are taken directly from the RMLS. What follows
is my own analysis of these statistics. For our purposes, I thought
it best to analyze Portland as a whole. Each neighborhood, however,
is a little micro-universe and has its own market. Changing the
parameters of the zip codes, price variables, or time periods can
lead to very different results. This analysis is of all homes sold
in all price ranges in Portland, Oregon. If you have any questions
about specific zip codes, or any questions about the market in
general, please reply to this forum with those questions or feel
free to contact me at: http://www.propertiesofportland.com.

Since Portland is a neighborhood city, you can now search by
"Irvington, Alberta, etc.". You can check it out by clicking here.

This information doesn't matter if you have a particular
neighborhood in mind since Portland neighborhoods are their own
micro-markets. If you have one in mind to buy or are selling your
home, please request a report for that neighborhood and I am happy
to post it on this blog or send it to you. The complete Portland
report is useful for an overall snapshot of the Portland market.

Hey everyone, I want to know what you think of these reports. Too
many stats? Just right? Something missing? Let me know so I can make
these more useful for you. What are your thoughts about real estate
right now? What do you think of the information in this report? Post
to this blog so we can discuss.

Visit our
website where you can contact us and search all Portland Metro Area real
estate and homes for sale from the RMLS, including school and
neighborhood reports at : http://www.propertiesofportland.com

Best
Portland Real Estate Deals of the Week

Each week, Ross shares
some cool Portland real estate deals, and it is
always fun to take a peek at what Portland home deals are available.

That's
It!

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